Higher education is out of reach for many adult learners. But the nation needs educated adults to maintain its economic and social vitality. So what if adult learners could receive college credit for what they’ve already learned in the workforce?
PLA | Key to college attainment for adults?
A new study shows Prior Learning Assessment students graduated at double the rate of non-PLA students and saved up to 10 months of time in earning degrees. Many colleges offer PLA to help adults earn college credit for learning they have gained outside of the classroom, including employment, military training and service, travel, hobbies, civic activities and volunteer service. Read
Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, a Lumina-funded study from the
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
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critical outcomes
lead to achievement
of the big goal. | |
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Preparation |
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Students are prepared academically, financially and socially for success in education beyond high school. |
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Success |
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Higher education attainment rates are improved significantly. |
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Productivity |
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Higher education productivity is increased to expand capacity and serve more students. |
Policy | The inclusive 529 Plan
More families are turning to state 529 Plans to save for future college expenses. While almost every state has a 529 Plan, individual states determine what their 529 Plan looks like. A new report from the
Center for Social Development identifies 529 legislation and administrative approaches that some states are using to make it easier for low-and moderate-income families to save for college.
Research | Study grades states on data systems
States are making headway toward building data systems that will improve student outcomes and systemwide performance, according to a report from the
Data Quality Campaign. Findings also show that most states have considerable work to do, such as following student progress from pre-school through college and the workforce, sharing student-level progress reports with teachers, and providing adequate training around data.
Equity | Studies: Make gap closing a priority
When choosing a college, students may not consider the school’s track record in actually graduating students. For students of color, it’s a different story: About 40 percent of underrepresented minority students earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. Top Gainers and
Top Gap Closers, from The Education Trust
, highlight public institutions nationwide that are showing the most improvement in boosting graduation rates for minority students and closing degree-attainment gaps.
Access | Emerging HSIs on the rise
The number of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) is poised to increase significantly, according to a study from
Excelencia in Education. With more schools qualifying for HSI status, the study says colleges and universities must re-examine their policies and practices to better serve Latinos.
Alignment | The preparation-expectations gap
The skills and knowledge that college instructors expect of entering students are more focused and specific than what high school teachers realize, reports the latest ACT National Curriculum Survey
. ACT calls for changes in state learning standards to help close the gap between high school practice and college expectations.
College readiness | Kentucky adopts new education standards
Kentucky has become the first state to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative
for math and English language arts in grades K-12. The new standards are part of a collaborative effort among 48 states to clarify what knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college and the workforce.
Engagement | Report: Colo. grads need remedial help
About one in three first-year Colorado college students requires remedial help in at least one core subject, according to an annual report by the
Colorado Commission for Higher Education. At both two- and four-year institutions, mathematics had the highest number of students assigned to remedial study.
Affordability | Ominous trends for higher education
State Higher Education Finance FY2009, an annual report on state funding and enrollment trends in higher education from the
State Higher Education Executive Officers, shows state and local support per student is at a 25-year low, with the cost of education shifting to families.
Equity | Study: College success for all
FY2011 Budget Proposal: Thoughts and Recommendations for Increasing College Access and Success provides suggestions from the
Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) to complement the federal education budget proposal. IHEP’s recommendations focus on additional aid to eligible students, better targeted interventions, and more partnerships with the federal government.
Degree completion | Doing what works
Recent research from
MDRC documents a variety of ways that community colleges are enhancing student services and improving academic outcomes. A common thread among the more effective programs is getting counselors and advisers into classrooms-either to support developmental math instructors or to teach college success courses.
Learning outcomes | Assessing quality
The first phase of a learning outcomes project from the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development was launched Jan. 27. The effort is designed to measure and compare learning outcomes at universities around the world, with the goal of assessing the quality of higher education by focusing on the knowledge and skills students acquire during college.
Accountability | How well are colleges run?
An annual survey on public perceptions toward higher education says many Americans believe colleges care more about their bottom line than the educational needs of students.
Squeeze Play 2010, from Public Agenda and the
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, also conveys the belief that colleges should be able to educate a larger proportion of the population.
Access | Impact of open courses on paid enrollment
Open courseware advocates view free online courses as a means to improve college productivity and increase access to higher education, especially for underserved student populations. Some institutions, however, oppose the concept because they believe it deters paying students. Findings
from an experiment involving open publication to the content of several distance-education courses at Brigham Young University suggest that open access has no impact on paid enrollment.
Workforce development | Connecting education and work
A new
report from the Joyce Foundation offers lessons learned from the
Shifting Gears initiative, a state policy change effort designed to support states as they pursue systemic change throughout their postsecondary, adult basic education, and skills-development systems.
Degree completion | Transforming community colleges
The proposed infusion of billions of
dollars in federal funds into the nation’s community colleges reaffirms the importance of two-year institutions in preparing students for the 21st century workforce. Re-imagining Community Colleges in the 21st Century: A Student-Centered Approach to Higher Education, from the
Center for American Progress, calls attention to several critical areas that community colleges must address to best serve students and improve institutional performance.
news
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Examples of Excelencia
Excelencia in Education is accepting nominations for Examples of Excelencia
. The national initiative identifies and promotes programs and departments with significant evidence of improving educational achievement for Latino students in higher education. more »
Lumina announces fourth-quarter grants
Lumina Foundation for Education recently awarded grants totaling $16.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. The 42 grants went to organizations in 15 states and the District of Columbia and focused on success, completion and productivity efforts.
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data points
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Learning on demand
More than 4.6 million students took at least one online course during the fall 2008 term, a 17 percent increase over the number reported the previous year. Source:
Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States »
Low-income students and AP success
Low-income students made up 14.7 percent of the students experiencing success in AP from the graduating class of 2009, compared to 13.4 percent from the class of 2008 and 11.7 percent from the class of 2004. Source: 6th Annual AP Report to the Nation
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College gender gap stabilizes (sort of)
The gender gap is leveling off, with one exception: Latinos. An American Council on Education study shows that 9 percent of Hispanic men aged 24 or younger have earned a bachelor’s degree, the lowest attainment level of any group studied. Among Hispanic young women, 14 percent hold a bachelor’s degree. Source:
Gender Equity in Higher Education: 2010 » | | |
